Hernia truss



Dec 29, 1925- G. SWALLOW HERNIA TRUSS Filed March 30, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 by! F Dec. 29, 1925 1,567,769

(5. SWALLOW HERNIA TRUSS Filed March 50, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 6110: neg

Patented Dec. 29, 1925 UNITED STATES GEORGE SNALLOW, 'OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH.

HERNIA TRUSS.

Application filed March 30, 1925.

1' all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE Swanrow, a citizen of the United States, residing at Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Hernia Trusses, of which the following is a full, clear. and exact description.

This invention relates to trusses, and particularly to a truss for the relief of h "nia of the abdomen.

The object of the invention is to provide a hernia truss of such construction that it will at all times exert desired pressure upon the affected area of the abdomen, regardless of the positions assumed by the body oi the wearer, and which will be so support-ed with relation'to the body as to remain always properly adjusted, thereby avoiding the discomfort often occasioned by trusses. which become displaced due to change in posture of the wearer or other causes. a

The invention consists, 'in detail, in a hernia truss fori'ned o't webbing, preferably elastic weblgiing. having supporting members arranged to embrace the legs of the wearer adjacent to the crotch, suspender members extending from the leg-embracing members and passing upwardly along the back of the .vearer and over his shoulders and thence downwardly to connections with the leg-embracing members, and members joined to the suspender members on their back portions, intermediate their conned tions with the leg-embracing members and their shoulder-engaging portions, and extending around the body of the wearer and across the abdomen and through the crotch from back to front and joined to connections on the free ends of the suspender members, as I will proceed now to explain and finally claim.

In the accomi 'ianying drawings illustrating the invention, in the several figures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the. back of the truss. Fig. 2 is a front view of the truss in adjusted position, the body of the wearer being shown in broken lines. big. 3 1s aback view similar to the front view of Fig. 2.

In constructing my truss I take two lengths of webbing, preferably elastic webbing, and loop them as shown at 1 to form leg-embracing members, the points 2 at Seal No. 19,323.

which the webbing is crossed being stitched, as indicated at 3, to make the loops permanent, the free ends 4 projecting from the loops being provided with buckles 5 to provide connection members, for a purpose later explained. The lengths of webbing -xtend from the loops to form suspender members 6, the back portions 7 of which are crossed at 8 and stitched, as indicated at 9 in fixed relation to eachother. Thence, the members 6 extend upwardly to forn shoulder engaging portions 10, and'tern" nets in free ends 11 to which are afiixe 'l, as by stitching 12. short straps 13 of the webbing. L

I then afi'ix to the members 6, adjacent to their intersection 8, two other lengths of webbing 1e, similar in all respects, and stitched to the members 6 as at 15 and 16, and crossing each other as at 17 where they are also stitched together, as at 18. Buckles 19 are attached to the free ends 20 of these members.

The truss is adjusted as follows :First the legs are passed through the loops or leg-embracing members 1. Then the mem- .e "s 6 are adjusted along the back, as shown 'n Fi 3, and passed over the shoulders,

t i i caving wardly over the chest and abdomen where they are crossed, as shown at 21, Fig. 2. Then the members 1 1 are drawn around from the back, crossed over the abdomen. as at 22, Fig. 2, passed around. the thighs from front to back, as shown at 23, thence through the crotch tron back to front, as at 2 and their free ends 20 attached to the straps 13 by means of the buckles 19. Then the free ends 11 of the members 6 are fastened to the free ends 1 of the loops 1 by means of the buckles 5.

The members 1: are the main truss or pressure exerting members and taken together form, in effect, a truss member oncircling the bot y. lVhere they pass over the abdomen they exert a pressure sufficient to support or compress the hernia, and, no matter what position the wearer may assume, this pressure will be exerted at all times, due to the elastic nature of the webbing and its ability, owing to the arrangement of the various members, to adjust itself to the contours of the wearers body.

The leg-embracing members 1 serve to prevent the truss from riding up on the abdomen due to bodily movements of the their free ends 11 extending downi wearer, and the slmulder-engaging portions will prevent the truss from dropping down. Thus the main truss members 14: will be held at all times in the same position relatively to the abdomen, and, in addition to the effective constant pressure exerted thereby, will be comfortable, because they are always in place.

If desired, a pad of cloth, gauze, felt, or the like, as indicated at 25, Fig. 2, may be pinned or otherwise affixed to the member 14:, between this member and the abdomen, to enlarge the surface area affected by the member.

The truss may be worn either with or without the ordinary belt or corset, as desired.

I am aware that trusses have been devised having straps which pass over the shoulders, and loop members through which the legs are passed, as shown in the patent of Rainbow, No. 29,4t03, dated July 31, 1860, but I do not know of any .truss having members equivalent to the members 14 of my device, which encircle the body and pass between the legs, thereby giving a compact pressure upon the affected area and making the wearer conscious of a comfortable, wellsupported feeling.

Various changes are contemplated as within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims.

That- I claim is 1. In a hernia truss, supporting members having preformed loops embracing the legs of the wearer at the crotch, and extending from said loops diagonally up the back and over the shoulders of the wearer and terminating in free ends, and truss members affixed to the supporting members at the back and passing around the body of the wearer in opposite directions from back to front and over the abdomen and thighs and between the legs from back to front and con- 11 cted with the free ends of the supporting members.

2. In a hernia truss, supporting members formed of flexible webbing having preformed loops embracing the legs of the wearer and extending diagonally from said loops up the back and over the shoulders of the wearer and crossing each other at apoint adjacent to the shoulder blades and terminating in free ends crossed in front, and truss members aihxed to said supporting members adjacent to their intersection and extending around the body of the wearer in opposite directions from back to front and crossed over the abdomen and extending around the thighs and brought thence between the legs from back to front and connected with the crossed free ends of the supporting members.

3. In a hernia truss, supporting members arranged to embrace the legs of the wearer adjacent to the crotch and having connection members, suspender members extending from the leg-embracing members and passing upwardly along the back of the wearer and over and engaging the shoulders and thence in front downwardly to said connection members, truss members joined to the suspender members on their back portions intermediate their connections with the legembracing members and their shoulder-engaging portions, and extending around the body of the wearer and across the abdomen and through the crotch from back to front, and means carried by said suspender mem bers and to which the ends of the truss members are connected after passing through the crotch.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day of March, A. D. 1925.

GEORGE SlVALLOlV. 

